"Mr. Deeds" features the "versatile comic genius" of Adam Sandler as a countryside rube who somehow inherits $60 billion from his estranged uncle ("I didn't know I had an uncle")'s will, and travels to the Big Apple to tangle with ruthless city slickers and corporate thieves out to bereave him of his fortunes. In a film that is rife with bland formula (lowly innocent receives fortune, spends as he pleases, hires eccentric, yet amiable butler, meets girl, falls in love, discovers she only digs him for her profession and his money, loses fortune to villain (Peter Gallagher), reclaims fame and fortune through emotionally connecting to avaricious board members, falls back in love, is a renowned hero and stud), it's unlikely your going to admire this film for originality, or even charm, for this is simply an enticing concept executed with a bland formula that is hardly buoyed by the dismal acting of Sandler and Wyona Ryder, and certainly lacks any wit and ingenuity in its screenplay. To keep it pithy, "Mr. Deeds" is about as original and charming as white plaster on a wall. And it even exhausts itself of decent material after awhile, an awfully indolent flow of ideas, if you ask me! Despite his noble intentions, couldn't Deeds spend more of his billions on whims rather than charity (hey, it's supposed to be an amusing comedy, and what's the fun in seeing a "regular billionaire"?). Yet, for all of its many deficiencies, there are some bearable elements to be found here. The scenes with the butler (John Tuturro) are fairly amusing (especially when he hammers Deeds' peculiar foot), and are the comedic height of the film. Hey, even the scene with Deeds outfoxing the Wall Street tycoons in the end is, only a few $billion short of inspiring. Yet, most of "Mr. Deeds" is rife with formula, cloying gags, implausibility, and is essentially a typical Sandler circus, featuring (you guessed it) many of his costars from previous films. I have yet to view the original 1939 classic from which this drek is inspired, yet I am certain this is a travesty of a classic concept in comparison with that film. If you enjoy routine Sandler humor, Sandler material, Sandler formula, and Sandler resolutions, then you'll find this comedy "delightfully funny". For anyone else, this is simply a cinematic ally and intellectually "bankrupt" billionaire romp with few moments of appraisal and interest. Avoid "Mr. Deeds"; see the original instead: I'm sure it is leaps and bounds better than this! *1/2 out of ****
Review of Mr. Deeds
